


with friends like ours anywhere is home

by musicspeakstoo



Series: boy you was battle born [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 23:23:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7733845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicspeakstoo/pseuds/musicspeakstoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason and the various ways he meets some of Tim's friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	with friends like ours anywhere is home

**Author's Note:**

> Told you there'd be a fic up today! Thanks for all the kind words on the last fic, I was a lil nervous about that one. Now, we're getting on into the Quake and No Man's Land arcs soon, so consider this your last bit of comic relief for a while, though I'm sure I find myself funnier than you guys will. The first two encounters occur before 'rich boy, poor boy' and the rest occur much later. I wanted to post this now, mostly because it's funny and I promised you guys something funny but also it seemed easier to write this early on in the verse, instead of slowly adding everyone in over time. This is also the closest we'll get to any pairings in the main verse. Title from the Maine's Another Night On Mars, because I just watched the video and it's stuck in my head.

Jason and Tim don’t really know each other that well, in the grand scheme of things. They’re not friendly enough to talk on the phone, though they may get there someday, but they do email and sometimes chat on the Internet. The distance (Gotham, Bruce) between them makes that a far off someday, but Jason wouldn’t rule it out. Still, when he gets wind via Oracle that something Tim’s doing is really pissing Bruce off, he feels compelled in his role as the bad Robin to go congratulate the kid in person.

He doesn’t really want anyone to know he’s here, so he doesn’t ask Oracle for help, though there are a few bitten off noises in his ear whenever he moves in a certain direction that tell him she knows he’s here and is trying to direct him toward his goal while still maintaining plausible deniability.

He’s in the heart of the Bowery when Oracle directly addresses him, “I’ve got a temporary blind spot in this couple block radius, so he’s probably around here somewhere.”

Jason raises an eyebrow, intrigued, “So I’m guessing this is where we part ways. Thanks for the not-help, O.”

“Happy hunting.”

Jason looks around, trying to figure out what the best spot would be for a potentially sulking Robin when he sees a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye. He whirls in its direction and though he doesn’t see it again, there’s something different about one of the shadows on a building toward the southeast. Gotcha.

Jason quietly makes his way over there and onto an overhang a few feet above it. He drops down triumphantly, all prepared to scare the broodiness out of Tim, but there’s more movement than he’d counted on. The shadow had looked so weird because it was concealing two people, not one.

Jason knows that Tim’s got friends, that most of these friends are civilians. But every superhero, especially the sidekicks (though that’s a less applicable term to Tim than it was to him and Dick), needs fellow superhero friends. Or, at the very least ( _Bruce_ ), allies. Jason’s apparently been out of the loop more than he’d thought, because he only has a vague idea of the kid he’s just caught sucking face with Robin on a rooftop is.

They’d sprung apart at Jason’s entrance, Tim going for a batarang and the kid nocking an arrow in his bow. Roy’s been off dealing with family shit in Star City, nothing he really wants to talk about, but there’d been a couple rants about Ollie’s biological son.

He manages to restrain his laugh, but can’t keep the smirk off his face, especially when Tim sighs and says, “It’s alright, he’s not gonna hurt us.”

Mini-Green Arrow, or whatever the fuck his name is, cautiously lowers his bow as Tim nods encouragingly. He doesn’t put the arrow back in his quiver, though, which shows he’s worth something.

“Don’t worry, bottle-blond, Red Hood doesn’t have it in for you. Now, scram, I gotta talk to Robin about official Gotham business.”

He’s bullshitting but thankfully he’s bigger and buffer than the Arrow, so all he has to do is draw himself up to his full height and the kid’s too distracted trying to size him up that he doesn’t notice what Jason’s saying.

Tim clearly does because he makes a face at Jason before turning to the other teen, “Sorry, Green Arrow, but I really do need to talk to Hood about something.”

Baby Arrow (he wants to call the kid Arrowette, but he _does_ know that there’s already one of those and intel says she’s pretty tough, so Jason’s not gonna start) still looks at Jason warily, but nods and then says to Tim, “I’ll see you around.”

It should be a question, probably, but Jason’s aware that _this_ is what has Bruce’s undies in a twist so he’s sure that it’s more of a statement than anything. Despite what Batman says, or whatever Tim tells him, this kid’s gonna be back in Gotham. Probably going to be lip locking with Tim again and doesn’t the Replacement have a girlfriend? He makes a note to lecture the kid about in-costume makeouts still qualifying as cheating.

The two of them stand in silence until the other kid is a speck in the distance before he turns to Tim, wolfish grin on his face.

Tim waves a hand at him, “Go ahead, get it out of your system.”

Jason howls. He laughs so hard he’s leaning on the side of the building for support, gasping for air.

“Oh man, ‘Placement, whenever _I_ wanted to piss off Bruce, I’d just hang out with the kids running the chop shop a couple blocks from here but you,” he sniffles, wipes his eyes, “If I’da thought about what macking on one of Queen’s kids would do to B, I would’ve made out with Roy a long time ago.”

Tim makes a terrible face, “Okay, ew. I absolutely did not need a mental picture of you and Arsenal like that. Ever.”

Jason laughs, “‘S what you get for making out in public, kiddo. Man, why are you in one of O’s blind spots for this, I’d want to make sure B gets an eyeful.”

Tim glares at him, “I wasn’t doing this to piss him off, Hood.”

Good little soldier, no names in the field. No, Jason’s not gonna go there.

“Oh yeah, then why are you doing it?”

Tim bites his lip, a tell the kid really needs to work on, and then says slowly, “I get why he’s wary of Green Arrow, but he’s proven to be a willing ally and... and he’s my friend. _Batman_ can tell _Robin_ who he can and can’t work with, but I don’t want _him_ telling _me_ who I can’t be friends with. We have lots of reasons to trust Green Arrow and I don’t want to stop being friends with him just because Batman couldn’t stand the original one.”

He sounds firm and Jason wonders if this is the same speech he’d given Bruce. Jason’s starting to realize that Tim’s a very different sort of Robin than he’d been.

“And—” Tim starts, stops.

“What?”

Tim shakes his head, “We should go, I have to be home tonight and I’m sure you won’t want to be in Gotham any longer than necessary.”

Jason lets the kid take the out and follows him up until they reach Tim’s bike, when Tim calls his name and then hesitates before saying, “Batman also gets no say in how I figure out my sexuality. Or with whom.”

Jason nods, aware that this is Tim trusting him, that this is somewhat of a gift, “I’d say that sounds like a good enough reason to me.”

He walks off, but before Tim can get on the bike, Jason turns around and says, “Oh, hey, Tim?”

Tim raises an eyebrow, “Yes, Jason?”

Jason gives him another wolfish grin,“The kid’s real cute, nice choice.”

He can practically feel the heat from the kid’s blush.

~~~

Bart Allen certainly lives up to his name. Impulse. It’s a good moniker for the kid currently running circles at the speed of light around Tim. Jason can see Tim fighting a smile and he smiles himself almost reflexively. Damn the kid for turning him into Grayson.

On that note, Jason decides to announce his presence, “I’ll give you twenty bucks if you make him throw up.”

Both of the teens look up and before Jason can blink, the speedster is in his face. 

“WhoareyouohwaitareyouRedHoodIknowyouaren’tyousupposedtobeabadguy?”

Jesus.

Tim sighs, put upon, “Stand down, Impulse, he’s okay.”

The kid blinks at Tim, who does the weird eyebrow raise that’s totally something he stole from Alfred. Impulse nods and Jason grins; it’s adorable, seeing Tim play leader. Jason shouldn’t really be here, Titans Tower is a place he doesn’t belong, never has, but he’s tracking a lead that’s led him to the West Coast, and Babs had asked him to drop a file off, so here he is.

He brandishes the file in question and Tim takes it, relaxes. It stings a bit, that Tim could think he was there to what, attack them? On the other hand, Tim’s an awful lot like Bruce, maybe a little too much, so it makes sense that it’s his first thought. It also doesn’t help that he’s on the outs with Dick, the darling of the cape and cowl community.

“Thanks, Hood, I appreciate it,” Tim says, all business.

Jason nods, “Anytime, shortstack!”

Tim scowls (whaddaya know, the kid’s got more than three facial expressions) and Jason congratulates himself on getting as much a rise out of the kid as he’s ever gotten and turns to leave. Before he can, however, there’s a tentative tug on his sleeve. Impulse stands there, looking somewhat like a puppy.

“Can I help you kid?”

Impulse shifts, then, “Yourjacketisreallycoolwheredidyougetit?”

Jason wonders if this kid can do anything at normal speed. He laughs, somewhat fonder than he means it to be, and makes his exit. Behind him, he hears Impulse again,

“WhatdidIsay?Whydidn’theanswer?Timwhyareyoumakingthatface?”

He can’t hear Tim’s answering sigh, but he knows that there is one. It’s nice to see the kid something other than robo-Robin or whatever mask Tim decides is appropriate to wear around Jason. He makes a note to tease the shit out of the kid more often, that exasperated sigh is kinda funny.

~~

Jason takes one look at Kon in his leather jacket (at Bruce scowling darkly in the background) and claps him approvingly on the shoulder.

~~

He doesn’t even _meet_ Steph, the first time he sees her in person. He and Tim were patrolling when Oracle comms them to say that Spoiler’s bitten off more than she can chew. Tim sighs resignedly and tells her they’re on their way.

“She does that a lot,” Tim says to him.

Jason nods. He doesn’t know a whole lot about her, other than what’s in the files. Stephanie Brown, daughter of the Cluemaster, vigilante going by the name of Spoiler in order to stop her father and others like him. It’s a worthy motivation, he’s gotta admit. Of course, it helps that Bruce absolutely disapproves. Which is kind of hypocritical, and totally not helpful. She’s obviously not quitting anytime soon, she’s still _here_ even after the Quake, so Jason doesn’t see the problem with giving her some help once in awhile.

They get to a rooftop across the way and pull out their binoculars to assess the situation. She’s surrounded by a bunch of big muscle guys, probably just hired to get something from point A to point B. Jason’s money is on either drugs or guns. There’s a few of the guys on the ground already, knocked out, but it’s evident she didn’t expect this many. She’s wearing a full face mask but he can read her fear in her body language. She’s also tired, probably still getting used to the way adrenaline works against you in a fight.

Still, she’s not making it easy for these guys.

There’s really no need for both of them to go down there, so Jason stays behind and watches, in case more show up. Babs has told him all about Spoiler and her crush on Tim, as much as she knows about it anyway, but Jason’s learning some other interesting things about her tonight. Such as that killer right hook and it’s really almost a shame that he’s still in Newark because he could do so much with a right hook like that and a spirit like hers. Maybe he’ll do it anyway.

It’s clear that Tim’s appearance has changed the tide for her, whether or not that’s because it means someone to help her or simply because it’s _Tim_ has yet to be determined. Either way, she regroups and the men around her start going down almost as quickly as the men around Tim do. Watching Tim fight is always interesting; he fights with the same technical precision Bruce does and there’s a hint of Dick’s showiness in there too but that might just be him showing off for Spoiler.

What’s _fascinating_ is the hint of, well, viciousness may be a little strong but Tim’s definitely hitting a little harder than Bats would approve of. He remembers reading that the kid trained with Lady Shiva, much like Jason himself had after splitting Gotham. He knows what she’s like and finds himself planning ways to get the kid to focusthat extra weight behind a blow with his staff _there_ , or where on the body a kick like that would cause moredamage _here_ , get his opponent to stay down quicker. He shakes his head to dispel that line of thinking, it won’t do any good.

All of the men are down now and being zip-tied by the both of them. He can’t hear what they’re saying, and Spoiler’s still got her mask on so lip reading is useless, he’ll just have to rely on body language to tell him what’s going on. It’s utterly entertaining and Jason finds himself absently wishing for popcorn. She’s clearly flirting, while Tim looks torn. He’s very much trying to be all business, while fighting the urge to flirt back, all while trying to hide all of this from Jason. She says something that makes Tim sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose, though from where Jason is he can see Tim’s fighting a smile. They’re adorable.

Neither of them look toward him on the rooftop during their conversation and Jason wonders if it’s because Tim doesn’t want to explain Jason’s presence or if Tim’s still trying to dissuade her from fighting crime and is afraid Jason would take her side. Which, y’know, he would, but still. He clearly dismisses her (gee whiz where could the kid have possibly picked _that_ up) and then makes a loop around the area, possibly to deter her from following him, before rejoining Jason on the rooftop.

Jason grins at him knowingly. 

“What?” Tim asks.

“You’re sweet on her, aren’t ya?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Spoiler and I are...well, we’re, we’re” he stutters.

Jason sighs, ruffles the kid’s hair. Tim pulls away and then doesn’t look at him, appearing to examine his grapple. So much like Bruce, really, and they ought to get him out more.

“Now, I don’t exactly bat for her team, but I’ve seen pictures, and that’s a pretty sweet punch she packs. I can see the appeal.”

Tim turns a hilarious shade of pink, “I am not ‘sweet on her’ as you say, which no real human being says, by the way. Besides, I already have a girlfriend.”

And with that, he takes off again, not even glancing behind to see if Jason’s following. He shakes his head before shooting his grapple. Teenagers.

~~

It’s hard to think of Wonder Girl as anyone other than Donna Troy, but Cassie makes it very clear that she has no qualms about putting Jason on his ass anytime she deems it necessary, which makes it easier. 

“Yeesh, kid,” he says to Tim after she’s left, “What is it with you and blondes that can beat you up one-handed?”

At Tim’s incredulous, and slightly confused, look he adds, “Not that I’m saying it’s a bad thing.”

Tim splutters, “I-I’m not, she’s, we’re, we’re just _friends_ Jason.”

Jason hums, “Yeah, but you still have a type.”

Tim scowls, “No, I don’t. And like I said, Cassie and I are friends.”

Jason shakes his head, “Okay: one, you were friends with Connor and Steph before you sucked face with them. Two, you were kind of drooling when she ripped the arm off the robot guy and three, the two previous points are kind of connected, ergo, you have a type.”

Jason walks away, leaving Tim blinking stupidly in his wake. He’s not even sure the kid’ll even date Wonder Girl at some point, but there’s a pattern there that _somebody_ had to point out. The fact that Tim didn’t understand what he was talking about is proof of that. _Honestly_.


End file.
